


Secrets

by TheGiftedTen



Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-20
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 09:37:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3973159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGiftedTen/pseuds/TheGiftedTen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An argument turned into escape lands the sons of Odin into the ancient forests of Asgard where an old acquaintance has been waiting for Loki's return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets

Emerald eyes glared back at arrogant glacier blue.  How in the Nine realms had the conversation even gotten this far?  He should have walked away as soon as Thor had burst in on him, but the library was his place, and he'd foolishly stood his ground and had allowed Thor's seemingly innocent conversation to take root before it was too late.  The nerve.  He should have thrown a ball of fire at that smug face and singed that perfect blonde beard into ash.  Loki's fingers twitched at his side, cancelling the urge to draw on his magic.  The books...  
  
Protective spells woven into the tomes would shield them from all manner of natural damage--like aging and dust--but they would not stand a chance against scorcery fire.    
  
A muscle ticked in his jaw before he opened his mouth to reply, "Never one to possess a fiber of decent manners, I see."  
  
"Come now, Loki.  There is no need to be so uptight," Thor gestured at the empty aisles, "There is none here but us; you can speak freely.  Have you truly never--"  
  
"Enough!" Loki nearly shouted before regaining his composure and squaring his shoulders.  When he next spoke it was behind his usual mask of bored indifference, "Enough, Thor.  We will speak of this no more."  His gaze swept past his brother as he added, "Now, unless you have something of actual importance to discuss with me, I suggest you leave."  
  
Thor had been watching him, his gaze seemed to roam all over him, yet his eyes never moved.  It was so unlike him to stand there silently like that that it made Loki uncomfortable, like he was exposed somehow.  
  
 After seconds passed and neither had spoken or made to leave, Loki lowered his head, suspicious.  
  
"I said leave."  
  
"I will not."  
  
"Fine," Loki glared at his bull-headed brother.  He drew in a deep breath and popped a ligament in his jaw before he turned and picked up the books he had been studying, "Then I'll leave."  
  
Thor knew better than to touch Loki without his consent--a few burned and frozen fingers had seen to that long ago--so he was genuinely surprised when he felt a large rough hand grip his forearm, barring his passage.  Loki glanced down at their joined arms before looking up at his brother's face, his eyes making the unspoken threat clear.  
  
Thor made no move to release him, but his eyes seemed to soften when he spoke, "Loki, I meant no offense.  Truly."  
  
"Remove.  Your.  Hand."  
  
"Then promise me you will not flee the moment I do."  
  
"I do not flee--!"  
  
"Retreat, then?"  
  
"LET GO!"  
  
"Answer my question and I shall!"    
  
They were shouting now, and at any minute the library's custodian, Gwaenor, was going to rain down upon them for desicrating the holy silence that the room commanded.  
  
"YOU INSUFFERABLE BOAR!" Loki yelled, dropping all pretense of civility as he tried twisting out of Thor's strong grip.  
  
"CONTENTIOUS ASS!" Thor grunted as he struggled to hold Loki from the pull of his teleportation spell.    
  
Although Thor was not adept at casting his own magic, being the son of a powerful sorceror still had its merit; he could sense other's magic, and, when he really focused, affect it.  It wasn't something he did often or around others--and with Loki around there was no need--but the times he did, Loki almost always patronized him for it.  Except now.  His glare was murderous and his eyes shone with magic as he channeled more power into the spell, causing them both to blur at the edges.  But Thor was determined, and they remained grounded within the high walls of the library.  
  
Soon they heard the hurried footsteps of the custodian making his way towards them.  Both blue and green eyes locked for a moment in comprehension, then Loki actually snarled at him, and vanished the books he'd been holding.  
  
In the blink of an eye, Loki had grabbed a fistful of golden hair and slammed his forehead into Thor's face.  
  
"AGHH!" Thor glared back at Loki as blood began to pour from his nose and drip down his chin to catch in his beard.  "You'll pay for that, brother."  But still, he had not let go of Loki's arm.  
  
"Oh?  And when shall you exact your revenge?" Loki purred, his own head now throbbing.  
  
Gwaenor's frantic muttering could now be heard as he drew near their location; they now had mere seconds before he was upon them: Thor earnestly gripping Loki's arm and blood streaming down his chin, both of them breathing heavily.  It was certain to get blown out of proportion, feeding the castle's gossip hens for days.  And if Sif and the others found out... Thor felt a tingle in his gut when his gaze drifted to Loki's mouth, its corners turned upwards in a triumphant smirk--and he suddenly knew what he had to do.  
  
Before he could think better of it, Thor quickly gripped both of Loki's arms and closed the space between them.  He leaned in close before saying quietly, "Either you teleport us both now, or I assure you we shall be discovered to be in a most scandalous position."  When Loki opened his mouth to reply, Thor canted his head and deftly covered Loki's mouth with his own.  Loki's eyes went wide in shock, but Thor noted that he did not pull away, sending another slight tingle to his stomach that only intensified when he heard the ragged breathing of the library's custodian as he neared the adjacent aisle.  
  
Loki had only a moment to glare furiously into Thor's steady blue gaze as his own glowed green with magic, enveloping them both into the teleportation spell just as the caretaker breathlessly rounded the corner.  
  
~  
  
Gwaenor thought he saw a vermillion light eminate from between the ancient shelves, but it was gone before he fully came upon the empty aisle.  He walked to the end of the row and caught the faint scent of ozone, and once again glanced around to confirm he was alone.  To Hel with this, he thought to himself as he quickly made his way back towards his study parlor.  Having worked in the royal archives for over three and a half thousand years, he was well familiar with the traces of that Odinson, and he wasn't about to get in the middle of any mischief--scholarly or otherwise.  
  
~  
  
When the light of Loki's magic faded, Thor opened his eyes and saw that they were now outside--and far enough from the palace that its towering golden spires could not be seen through the trees that now surrounded them.  They both spoke at once:  
  
"Where are we?"  
 "What in the Nine Realms was that?!"  
  
"What was what?"  
  
"You know damn well what!"  
  
Rather than answer, Thor released Loki's arms and looked around to gather his bearings.  He surmised that they must be somewhere in the vast forest that flanked the southern border of Asgard.  It was a primeval forest, with tall dark trees that housed all manner of wild creatures and old magics.  There were dense fogs that could disorient the most experienced traveller, and flesh-eating plants that slowly drew off the life force of those unfortunate enough to be ensnared in their grasps.  And it was also said there were ancient magical...things...that dwelled in the deepest reaches of the forest.  And knowing Loki as he did, Thor had no doubts that this was where his brother had spent a majority of his time as a youth--when not in the library of course.  He turned his attention back to Loki, who had been silently regarding him, his face unreadable.  
  
"This place suits you, brother."  
  
Loki glared at him and shoved past him, walking towards a massive elder tree that dominated the clearing.  It did not go unnoticed that the ground beneath the tree was well worn, and even some of the larger roots that twisted out of the ground like sea serpents showed signs of wear.  
  
"Is this place one of your secret hideouts?" He stepped atop a large bent taproot at the base of the tree and peered at the contents of a hollowed out knot in the trunk:  different colored stones and crystals--some of them etched with runic symbols.  
  
"Yes.  No.  Well, not for some time..." Loki trailed off as something had caught his attention at the edge of the clearing.  
  
Thor followed his gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary; a myriad of shrubs and sapplings surrounded the area, dotted with the occasional stone or fungii.  Loki walked a few paces and knelt before a patch of tiny white flowers that had grown around what appeared to be a squirrel carcass.  His brows furrowed in thought.  Thor recognized the flowers as the same which seemed to grow in abundance in his mother's garden, though he could not recall their name.  
  
" _Hvítt ryk_ ," Loki murmured as he gently brushed his fingers over the small blossoms.  
  
  
  
What happened next had Thor reaching for Mjölnir as he raced towards his brother.


End file.
